Conservatism essay plans Flashcards
Human nature introduction
More disagreement than agreement
They all believe we are imperfect and so agree for a need of order brought about by a state or communities, but this agreement is largely superficial when you see how deeply negative Hobbes is compared to new right thinkers who have a much more positive view and so want a degree of individualism
Human nature paragraph one
Agreement - philosophy of imperfection
Hobbes believes we are calculating, competitive and ruthlessly self interested while Burke believes we are most certainly fallible (means we can never have a utopian society). Similarly, Rand and Nozick don’t have an entirely positive view on human nature as they believe the only way to secure liberty is via a state which provides law and order. In the same way Burke and Nozick agree on the idea of communities and little platoons to keep people curbed.
Human nature paragraph 2
Disagreement - Disagree on the extent to which individuals should have freedom. New right thinkers believe that people have much more control over their outcome - more positive view on human nature - and so we should be free individuals living in an atomistic society and objectivism. Nozick’s libertarianism and people should be completely left alone. This contrasts to traditional conservatives who believe any freedom will lead to destruction of society given the state of nature is nasty brutish and short.
Human nature paragraph 3
Because they all have contrasting views on extent to which we have individual freedom, they disagree on the extent of the role the government should play. Hobbes believes the government should be forbidding, autocratic and intimidating to ensure everyone’s right and wrong doesn’t create conflict
Oakeshott believed they should prevent the bad rather than create the good
However, new rights want to role back the frontiers and have a minarchist state whose only role is law and order. Any taxation is theft.
Human nature conclusion
Overall, conservatives disagree on human nature because while they all agree human nature’s not perfect, they disagree the extent of this leading to contrasting roles of the state and individualism.
State - intro
The state proves to be another area of large contradiction within Conservatism as their belief on the need for the state seems to be the only thing uniting conservatism. However, even the theme which brings them together (law and order) has more disagreement than agreement given the role of the state is so contradictory as well as who should rule it
State - paragraph 1 agree
They all believe there is a need for a state because it’s a philosophy of imperfection. Life would be nasty brutish and short without a state according to Hobbes. Oakeshott believes we need it to prevent the bad rather than the good and new right thinkers believe it’s the only way to secure liberty. The state is also needed to assist the rise of little platoons which provide a back bone to order
Paragraph 2 on the state
However, the role of the state is largely contradictory in dealing with human imperfection.
One nation and state sponsored reform as capitalism’s reluctant supporters. Macmillian and the third Way and factory acts - largely Keynesian
On the other hand new rights believe tax is theft and there is a need for laissez faire economics to secure libertarianism where people are completely left alone. This is because society is only made of individuals who are atomistic and it’s their energy rather than a successful government who create society
P3 - state - disagreement
Disagree over who should run the state. Burke believe it should be run by a ruling class who were born to rule. They had a role of paternalism (agreement here with one nation and Disrael and Middle way). On the other hand, new right thinkers are skeptical of an aristocracy and believe in the concept of libertarianism and individuals are atmoistic so shouldn’t be ruled over. Burke would argue for intimidating state
Society intro
large disagreement as there’s contrasting views about where it should even exist, who rules it and what it’s like without authority. There is minimal agreement about the fact that a perfect society cannot be created and that it helps to bring about law and order
Society Paragraph 1
Firstly, because they all agree humans are imperfect, they all reject the idea of a utopian society. Burke believes and so would the others that the French revolution was abandoning empiricism and was trying to create a society based on philosophical abstractions meaning it wouldn’t succeed. Instead society should grow organically. Similarly, there is broad agreement about the fact that society should exist through the principle of localism and rather than having a mega community, they should exist in little platoons - Nozick and Burke. This would help to curb human imperfection.
Society - paragraph 2
However, they all largely disagree and have contradicting views, with new right thinkers like rand questioning if society should even exist. She believes individuals are atomistic and should therefore follow the principle of objectivism - society is just a loose collection of individuals and tax is theft - no want for redistribution of wealth in society - highly contrasting with Burke who believed society would act to curb imperfection.
P3 - disagreement - society
Who should control the state - large disagreement - state preceeds society and without a state, society would be nasty brutish and short. Burke would agree that there’s an existence of a ruling class who are born to rule and have a responsibility of paternalism ‘the palace is not safe while the cottage is not happy’. However, new right’s believed in meritocratic states rather than aristoratic and they should largely be left alone in libertarianism
Economy - introduction
More disagreement than agreement - while they believe on a system of capitalism, the effects on it differ according to strands and therefore the extent to which it should be managed/ how it should be managed
Paragraph one - economy
Coherrent support for capitalism - hierarchy and inequality as well as Rand’s idea of objectivism and that it entertains ruthless self interest. Keeps and emphasis on property and tradition and therefore promotes the paternalistic role
